


Second Choice

by creatureofhobbit



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-24
Updated: 2019-02-24
Packaged: 2019-11-05 01:56:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 582
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17909804
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/creatureofhobbit/pseuds/creatureofhobbit
Summary: Reggie has always felt second best to Archie.





	Second Choice

He knew he shouldn’t feel that way. Archie was one of his best friends, possibly the best one he had after Moose. Yet throughout the whole time they had been friends, it had always felt to Reggie that whatever he did, Archie did just that little bit better.

It didn’t seem to bother the other guys. Or at least Reggie hadn’t ever noticed that it was an issue for Jughead, although he didn’t know the guy that well despite having been in the same class and more or less the same friendship group for years. Who knew what the hell went on in that guy’s head. Moose had enough to deal with, with all the secrets he was keeping from his family, including the relationship with Kevin that he was still trying to pretend wasn’t common knowledge. And Kevin had different interests, so he wasn’t in competition with Archie in quite the same way. But Reggie had always felt like Archie was his rival as well as his friend. 

He'd mentioned something to Moose once about losing out to Archie in class, and Moose had just burst out laughing, pointing out that Archie had almost been held back when they were kids because he could barely read until Betty Cooper helped him. But that had been years ago; Reggie had forgotten all about it because he’d caught up since then. Moose had then gone on to tell him he shouldn’t worry about it, because he had a lot going for him. He brought up the fact that Reggie was captain of the Bulldogs; he had obviously forgotten that Coach had intended to give the job to Archie first until Archie had turned it down, saying that he couldn’t commit to it in the way Reggie could.

Reggie had brushed that off at the time; he’d ended up with the job, and everyone felt he’d done it well, so what did it matter if Archie had been first choice? And with the student council president elections, Reggie had realised he wasn’t ready for the job; the way he’d gone after Fogarty wasn’t an example he should be setting to his fellow students. He’d just tried to ignore the little voice in his head that said he had no chance anyway while Archie was in the running, told himself that he knew Archie would do a good job and he could support his friend and be happy for him.

With Veronica, with getting to know her better while working together at the Speakeasy, and knowing that Archie wasn’t likely to come back in the near future, Reggie had finally been starting to relax, to think that now he had a chance of a future with Veronica, that for once he could come first. But then Archie returned, and even though Veronica didn’t immediately pick up with him where they left off, she also chose to end things with Reggie.

In the moment, he was sure that Archie had won again in the unspoken competition that had existed between them the whole time they had been friends. Now Archie and Veronica are finally broken up, Archie appears to have something going with Josie, and he and Veronica are making a go of it. And Reggie wonders whether he can finally allow himself to relax, knowing that this time he has won, or whether there will come a time that Archie and Veronica consider reconciling again and he will find himself in second place once more.


End file.
